Kailyn received a B.A. in English Literature and Neuroscience from Swarthmore College. Currently, Kailyn is enrolled in the MD/PhD – Epidemiology program at the University of Pittsburgh under the mentorship of Dr. Catarina Rosano.

Kailyn has a passion for complex questions specifically regarding the neurobiological factors in resilient aging, questions that require multidisciplinary – epidemiological, clinical, neurological, computational – perspectives. Specifically, in graduate school, Kailyn aims to investigate p between digital platforms and neurological aging among older adults.

Select publications 

• Lateef, T., Witonsky, K., He, J. and Ries Merikangas, K., 2019. Headaches and sleep problems in US adolescents: Findings from the National Comorbidity Survey–Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Cephalalgia, 39(10), pp.1226-1235.

• Rubio, F.J., Quintana‐Feliciano, R., Warren, B.L., Li, X., Witonsky, K.F., Valle, F.S.D., Selvam, P.V., Caprioli, D., Venniro, M., Bossert, J.M. and Shaham, Y., 2019. Prelimbic cortex is a common brain area activated during cue‐induced reinstatement of cocaine and heroin seeking in a polydrug self‐administration rat model. European Journal of Neuroscience, 49(2), pp.165-178.

• Hamedani, A.G., FR Witonsky, K., Cosico, M., Rennie, R., Xiao, R., Sheldon, C.A., Paley, G.L., McCormack, S.E., Liu, G.W., Friedman, D.I. and Liu, G.T., 2018. Headache Characteristics in Children With Pseudotumor Cerebri Syndrome, Elevated Opening Pressure Without Papilledema, and Normal Opening Pressure: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain.

• Li, X., Witonsky, K., Lofaro, O.M., Surjono, F., Zhang, J., Bossert, J.M. and Shaham, Y., 2018. Role of anterior intralaminar nuclei of thalamus projections to dorsomedial striatum in incubation of methamphetamine craving. Journal of Neuroscience, pp.2873-17.

• Li, X., Carreria, M.B., Witonsky, K.F., Zeric, T., Lofaro, O.M., Bossert, J.M., Zhang, J., Surjono, F., Richie, C.T., Harvey, B.K. and Son, H., 2017. Role of dorsal striatal histone deacetylase 5 in incubation of methamphetamine craving. Biological Psychiatry.

• Baugh, A.T., Witonsky, K.R., Davidson, S.C., Hyder, L., Hau, M. and van Oers, K., 2017. Novelty induces behavioural and glucocorticoid responses in a songbird artificially selected for divergent personalities. Animal Behaviour, 130, pp.221-231